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Alternative to KYB Strut for R50


dSaint
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Hi all,

 

Thanks to a lot of great feedback on another post i've made, I've made some great progress with rebuilding my R50's rear suspension. LR 9447's and bilstein shocks on order! My question is now about struts. I have front coils on order (ARB/OME), but I am wondering if anyone has some alternatives to the KYB struts that I see a lot of folks promote for R50's. I was hoping to find a biltein strut to work on the front end, or also OME. Is there a reason so many folks use KYB struts? are there alternatives that I should be considering? 

 

Thanks in advance,

Dave

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I too am in the market for new struts as one of my 'electronic adjustable' factory struts has finally given up and is leaking from the top. I really wish the ones with the adjuster on top that the electronic actuator turns to adjust the ride were still available from Nissan :/

Maybe I can source some from Japan or something...

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8 hours ago, Forsaken said:

I too am in the market for new struts as one of my 'electronic adjustable' factory struts has finally given up and is leaking from the top. I really wish the ones with the adjuster on top that the electronic actuator turns to adjust the ride were still available from Nissan :/

Maybe I can source some from Japan or something...

 

I didn't realize the adjustable shocks existed on R50s.  But, your comment prompted me to look at the FSM, and sure enough, they did.  Neat!

 

Check out Amayama.com, looks like they may still be able to find them in Japan or UAE.  Per NissanPartsDeal.com, for struts "F/Suspension w/ADJ Shock Absorber" I see the following p/n's per stamping on strut body:

 

Stamped --> Old P/N --> New P/N 

LH#1: 54303-0W010 --> 54303-0W026 --> 54303-0W087

LH#2: 54303-0W011 --> 54303-0W028 --> 54303-0W088

RH#1: 54302-0W010 --> 54302-0W026 --> 54302-0W087

RH#2: 54302-0W011 --> 54302-0W028 --> 54302-0W088

 

They don't come cheap (>$200 + $96 S&H), and hopefully you need the #1 ones since those appear to be available.  It's not clear what the difference is on those.

 

Have you tried checking if the actuator (54397-0W000, 54397-0W010) is bad on them?  The procedure is in the FSM, Front Axle and Suspension chapter.

 

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Right?  It appears it used the same switch as the WD21, which apparently was in use from 1994-1999, but I don't see any mention of it in 97+ FSMs.  Interesting feature in a rather feature-less R50 platform.  There were some other oddball features that existed, like rear heated seats, TPMS, and dropdown monitors + VCR systems.  Add adjustable shocks to the list.

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If I could find adjustable ones for my wd21 I’d buy them in a heartbeat. None of the aftermarket parts come close to the ride they provided.


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On 8/12/2023 at 6:24 PM, hawairish said:

Right?  It appears it used the same switch as the WD21, which apparently was in use from 1994-1999, but I don't see any mention of it in 97+ FSMs.  Interesting feature in a rather feature-less R50 platform.  There were some other oddball features that existed, like rear heated seats, TPMS, and dropdown monitors + VCR systems.  Add adjustable shocks to the list.

I saw one with an electric actuated rear glass opener... I think it was an '02??
If I ever see one at the junk yard imma spend all the time it takes to pull that system, wiring harness, driver door panel, and all xD

I ended up grabbing a set of the OME struts from RuggedRocks and a set of medium '0.5"' lift springs to go with them (probably more like 2.5" lift considering how much mine appear to be sagging). Hopefully that will level out a bit of the rake I have going on after the ~1" lift springs I put in the rear got me around 3" from 20yrs old springs :D

And I wondered why I seemed to be dragging stuff more when on the trails lately! Lmao

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7 hours ago, Forsaken said:

I saw one with an electric actuated rear glass opener... I think it was an '02??
If I ever see one at the junk yard imma spend all the time it takes to pull that system, wiring harness, driver door panel, and all xD

 

They were standard at some point; 2002 sounds about right.  There are two switches on the door, actually.  One for the rear hatch glass, and another for the fuel door.  You'd also need the hatch latch mechanism and all the wiring.  Not worth the hassle, IMO.  It's a nice to have, I'll say that much.

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On 8/19/2023 at 1:39 PM, hawairish said:

 

 Not worth the hassle, IMO.  It's a nice to have, I'll say that much.

I mean, I'm not gonna drive 3 states over for just that, but if I see one at one of the local junk yards then IMO its worth my time for another 'James-Bond-esque' feature...

Any experience with the OME struts? I suppose I should do a search of this forum to find reviews, but I needed new ones and those are now literally the only option other than KYBs as far as I know at this time. I hope they serve me well both on road and gravel/offroad as I do about 50% of my driving on each typically.

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I mean, I'm not gonna drive 3 states over for just that, but if I see one at one of the local junk yards then IMO its worth my time for another 'James-Bond-esque' feature...

Any experience with the OME struts? I suppose I should do a search of this forum to find reviews, but I needed new ones and those are now literally the only option other than KYBs as far as I know at this time. I hope they serve me well both on road and gravel/offroad as I do about 50% of my driving on each typically.

OME struts are good quality. I installed a set on my parents 2000 and they worked well until they traded it in 5 or 6 years later. Old man emu is also ARB.


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